


The Cinder Maid

by prissygirl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Cinderella remix, F/M, One Shot, Romance, Rumbelle - Freeform, Rumbelle Showdown 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-28
Updated: 2016-04-28
Packaged: 2018-06-05 01:49:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6684403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prissygirl/pseuds/prissygirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumplestiltskin had helped dozens of maids become princesses in his time as the Dark One - so why was this girl so different?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cinder Maid

It was the night of the third ball.

Like the two evenings before, all heads turned when the mysterious woman in the glittering, golden ball gown appeared at the top of the stairs, her glass slippers making no sound as she gracefully descended the stairs to where the Prince stood expectantly.

With such a picturesque moment before the crowd, no one noticed the figure lurking in the shadows, watching the proceedings with a grimace.

While the Dark One was often responsible for the magic that clothed desperate young woman in fine dresses and turned their local farm animals and produce into a functioning carriage and driver, he didn’t often attend the balls.

He found most of the girls he made deals with too silly to waste much time on. As long as they could be relied on to uphold their end of the bargain, he had much better things to do than chaperone them on their dates.

Which was why Rumplestiltskin couldn’t for the life of him figure out what he was doing at the castle for the third night in a row.

Belle was less annoying than most, he supposed, but her story was hardly unique – an orphan forced to become a servant in her own home by an uncaring stepfamily.

Because of the cinders that covered her face from having to sleep near the fire, they called her the cinder maid. Or even on occasion, Cinderbelle.

Not that he cared, of course. He was only interested in her fulfilling her end of their deal, something he doubted would be a problem. After several hundred years of matchmaking, he had the process down to an art.

All one needed was a desperate maiden, an imprudent prince, and – as always – a memorable detail.

He was rather proud of himself this time; his glass slippers had caused such a stir at the first ball that there were already copycats two nights later, though most seemed to be walking fairly gingerly in their non-enchanted heels.

As humorous as their suffering was, it couldn’t draw his attention for long. His eyes snapped back to Belle as he heard her laugh at something the Prince had said.

Anger coiled in Rumplestiltskin’s stomach and he found himself taking a step forward before he stopped himself.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d almost say he was feeling _jealous_.

The thought was absurd and he brushed it away. His eyes, however, stayed riveted to Belle’s face for the rest of the night.

Several times he thought he saw her scanning the crowd for someone, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He’d spent enough time with her over the past month to know she had no other friends.

It was several hours later before he realized how much time had passed. Shortly after, the Prince was called to the King’s side and Rumplestiltskin watched as Belle slipped out onto the outdoor balcony overlooking the gardens.

He glanced up at the ornate clock that hung on the wall. Only an hour remained until midnight.

Since he was already there, Rumplestiltskin figured it couldn’t hurt to run over the finer points of the plan with Belle again. Not that it wasn’t perfect, of course. Anyone who had played this game as long as he had gained a firm understanding of how all the players moved.

Nothing was getting by him.

But he found himself going towards her anyway, moving silently from the shadows of the ballroom out onto the balcony.

Belle seemed lost in thought, a slight frown of concentration marring her expression. But as Rumplestiltskin followed her line of sight out into the garden, he realized she wasn’t looking at anything in the distance – her gaze was focused inward.

He crept up behind her, careful that his footsteps not make a sound.

“Tick-tock, dearie! It’s almost the witching hour.”

Instead of jumping, Belle merely turned around to face him, a knowing smirk on her face.

“I was wondering when you’d stop hiding in the dark.”

His next taunt stuck in his throat as her words. He cleared his throat hastily and sneered at her.

“Just making sure you were on your toes! I wouldn’t want you to throw the plan.”

Belle relaxed against the balcony. “And that’s the only reason – “

“The only reason,” he answered quickly.

“ – that you’ve been watching me for the past three nights?”

Rumplestiltskin blinked. “Clearly.”

“Are you saying you’re worried about the plan then?”

He waved a hand in the air casually. “My plan is foolproof. As long as you remember to lose one of your slippers on your way out of the castle, you’ll be married in a fortnight.” He jerked a thumb towards the ballroom. “These princes can never resist a good chase.”

“That certainly seems true,” Belle agreed. “The Prince is certainly…impulsive.”

“Ah, I see your infatuation has not blinded you to his faults then.”

Belle crossed her arms. “Who says I’m infatuated?”

“Oh please, you’re practically glowing,” he scoffed. “I’ve been around for over 300 years – I _know_ the first signs of love when I see it.”

She straightened up quickly at that, taking several quick steps towards him until she nearly pressed up against him.

“You can see that?” Her voice was a near whisper.

His throat was suddenly dry and he could only mumble “Aye” like some idiotic pirate.

Belle was gazing at him strangely, her top teeth worrying the pink flesh of her bottom lip. He found his eyes strangely drawn to the sight.

“Well, that’s certainly useful to know.” Belle hesitated before finally speaking again. “So if for some reason my engagement to the prince never occurred, you wouldn’t be able to get the betrothal necklace I promised you.”

Rumplestiltskin nodded. The ruby amulet was rumored to hold considerable power, though he had never gotten close enough to find out. His deal with Belle had seemed the best way to obtain it.

Admittedly, he was having a hard time concentrating on that part of the plan at the moment. He had finally torn his eyes away from her lip only to become rather lost in her eyes.

He supposed he had never been close enough to realize how incredibly blue and kind her eyes were. It seemed a pity that they would be wasted on the likes of Prince James.

The man was a thoughtless lout, too self-absorbed to ever achieve anything worthwhile, in Rumplestiltskin’s opinion. A dozen more reasons why the crown prince wasn’t good enough for Belle flitted through his mind, despite his best efforts to swat them away.

“What would happen to me in that case?” Belle asked, bringing him back to the present. “My main objective was to escape my family, but I have nothing to barter with if I don’t get the pendant. And with winter just around the corner, it would be foolish for me to leave with nowhere to go.” For the first time since Rumplestiltskin had met her, he saw a look of despair cross her face. “If I could find work as a maid somewhere else, I’d take it. But no one around here will take me.”

The moment the words left her mouth an absurd idea popped into Rumplestiltskin’s head. He knew it was ridiculous, and that his flawless planning meant the backup plan that Belle was asking about was unnecessary, but he couldn’t help the excitement that flared up within him at the thought.

“The Dark Castle is rather filthy,” he said nonchalantly. “On the very slim chance that your prince doesn’t propose, I suppose I could always hire you – “

His words were cut off by Belle throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him.

“Thank you,” she whispered softly. “I think my choice is clear now.”

She pulled away, glancing at him rather shyly.

So that was that, he realized, the warmth from her body quickly being replaced by the cold realization that she had chosen her prince after all. He’d known it was unlikely that she would pick a monster over a future king, but he had wanted to give her the option.

Not wanting to stay while she enjoyed the rest of her night on the arm of the Prince, he waved his hand quickly, disappearing in a cloud of smoke before she could say another word.

A week later he stood in the shadows again; this time at Belle’s family home. The Prince knelt before Belle, slipping the glass slipper carefully onto her foot.

Flashes of Belle’s happily ever after swam before Rumplestiltskin’s eyes. He turned away, only to freeze when the sound of shattering glass reached his ears.

He stared slack-jawed at the shattered remains of the slipper that lay across the floor.

Despite the shouting and frenzy around her, Belle stared calmly up at the corner where he hid, an unashamed smile on her face.

Rumplestiltskin felt an answering smile spread across his own.

It seemed he would be acquiring a new maid after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: I hope you enjoyed this! It was my Round 4 story for the 2016 Rumbelle Showdown. The prompts were "Tick-tock, The witching hour, Winter".


End file.
